Of Jelly Doughnuts and Bran Muffins
by RobinL
Summary: Ranger returns to Trenton following a mission to find that Stephanie has made some changes in her life. Babe angst.
1. Chapter 1

**_Of Jelly Doughnuts and Bran Muffins_**

**by**** Robin**

_Mild spoilers through Chapter 2 of LMT_

_Rated:PG_

**Part 1**

Ranger pulled up to the bonds office looking better than any body had a right to. His silky straight hair had grown out enough to pull back into a ponytail and keep it out of his face and he could finally abandon the hats he'd been wearing for the last few months. His smooth, tanned skin bore a few more scars that only enhanced his sexy-as-hell badass image. He'd grown a little leaner, his muscles hardened from the stress his body had endured on his last mission.

There had been moments when he wasn't sure if he'd live to see the mission through, but thoughts of what he'd left in Trenton, of what the future might hold, saw him through the worst of it, his instincts and discipline and training getting him through the rest.

And it had been worth it in the end, he thought resting his hand over his coat pocket and the paper within that made him a free man. All he had to do now was find her and tell her. Tell her what his plans were, what he wanted… what he was almost certain they both wanted. He laughed to himself as he thought about psyching himself up to see her. This conversation seemed scarier than anything he'd encountered as a soldier. She had the ability to hurt him in ways no one else ever had, way worse than the physical pain he'd recently endured. She was the source of light in his life and she had the ability to put that light out. It was a heady thing for a man like him to give that kind of power to someone, but he finally realized he'd been living a half-life without her. She was a risk worth taking.

He scanned the cars parked in front of the building trying to pick hers out, knowing that with her luck it was likely she'd gone through a half dozen in the time he'd been away. There was no sign of Big Blue or the Escape she'd been driving when he left town, but it was almost lunchtime and if her habits hadn't changed, she could almost always be counted upon to drop in for take-out with the girls.

Climbing out of his truck, he ambled across the street and into the bonds office, stopping the conversation in its tracks. "Ladies," he said to the gaping Connie and Lula, pushing his sunglasses up onto the top of his head. He flashed the girls a charming smile despite the fact he was disappointed that there was no sign of Stephanie. Lula issued a little squeak and dropped to the couch with a thud. Connie just fanned herself. It was amusing to him that they reacted this way; he'd missed them while he was away.

Connie recovered her power of speech first, "Hi, Ranger. Long time no see."

"Hi, Connie. Lula. It is good to see you both."

"Uh, Vinnie's not here. Said he needed to see a man about a duck."

Ranger laughed, the sound was rich and warm and sent a visible shudder through the women. "I'm not here to see Vinnie. I was actually wondering when you expected Stephanie."

"You haven't heard?" Connie asked.

A feeling of unease seeped into Ranger and he asked, "Heard what? Is she okay?" His tone held none of the urgency he felt and his impassive façade held, barely.

"Oh, no, don't worry. That girl be fine," Lula said. Ranger felt a wave of relief so powerful he almost made an expression. "She just don't work here no more. And good riddance, I say."

Ranger stared at Lula, a look that had made lesser mortals pee their pants. However, Lula just jutted out her chin. "Don't you be looking at me like that, Batman. You ain't been around, you don't know what's what."

"Tell me," he said, a threat in his voice. He liked Lula, but he wouldn't stand by and let anyone badmouth Stephanie, especially not someone who was supposed to be a friend.

"Really, Ranger," Connie interjected, "things have changed since you left. Steph… well, the last time she was here, she said some things that are hard to forgive."

"What happened?" he asked. His Babe was well liked by just about everybody, and she rarely did or said things to hurt someone else, especially not her friends. Ranger was confused and there was nothing he hated more than that feeling. Confusion was a loss of control and control was essential.

"That skinny white girl done changed, is what happened," Lula said standing up, hands on hips. "She became too good for the likes of us with her new job and her boring-ass friends. She said she couldn't always be comin' by to help me get my skips. That if I couldn't do it without her help, maybe I should go back to doing a job I was good at. And I know what she meant 'cause the only job I ever been good at is turnin' tricks."

Ranger looked at Connie, trying to assess if Lula's story was the truth. "That's what happened, I swear," she said, holding her hands at shoulder height, palms forward, in the universal 'don't shoot the messenger' gesture.

Lula crossed her arms over her ample chest and humphed, mumbling more to herself than the others, "Course that's what happened. I oughta know. And I know she wasn't talkin' 'bout me being no filing clerk, everybody knows I don't file worth a damn. I mean I could file the shit outta this place, if I wanted to. I just never applied myself."

"Why did she quit?" Ranger asked Connie, ignoring Lula's grumbles.

"Morelli. Why else? Said she had to quit if they were gonna get back together. She came around for a while after that and then she got a new job and we saw less and less of her, and then one day…" Connie trailed off, looking at the ground to avoid the weight of Ranger's stare.

Morelli, Ranger thought grimly, so he was back in the picture. They'd been broken up when Ranger left town. He should've known it would be too good to last.

"Where is she working?" he asked.

"Macy's," Lula answered, "behind one of them perfume counters. I can't even go in there anymore. I tell you, it's been hell on my shoe addiction."

Ranger simply nodded at the women and walked out the door, returning to his truck. All of the plans that he'd been so sure of ten minutes ago had flown right out the window and some of the wind had gone out of his sails. He wasn't completely surprised Morelli was back in the picture, that wasn't new. That was a possibility he had considered, but the other changes, well, he wasn't sure what to make of that. He took a deep breath and started the truck, pulling into traffic and setting out for the mall.

ooooo

The drive to the mall was more frustrating than normal for this time of day and if there was a possible barrier, he encountered it. Every light was red, every congested area moved at a crawl. If Ranger had been the superstitious type he would have taken it as a bad omen.

He parked and entered Macy's via the Men's Department so he could approach Stephanie unobserved. He wound through racks of shirts, pants, belts, jewelry, then handbags and hats until finally he neared the cosmetics area. He spotted her at a counter, helping an older lady with pink hair.

Stephanie was as beautiful as ever, her hair longer now, falling over her shoulders in waves. She wore an ivory blouse under a navy jacket, her matching skirt ending just above her knees, her long pantyhose clad legs enhanced by pretty, but plain, pumps. Ranger watched a smiling Stephanie spray perfume onto a sample card and present it to the customer. The lady took it and rubbed it all over herself, her arms, her neck and her décolletage, she handed the card back and patted Stephanie on the hand, then waved and walked off.

Stephanie's shoulders slumped when the woman moved away, the smile slipping from her face as she blew out a sigh. Stephanie put the sample perfume back on the shelf and glanced around, noting that the store was virtually empty. She sighed again and leaned over the counter, propping her head up on her hand. The motion caused the overhead lights to reflect off a ring on her hand. Ranger's heart sank… a diamond ring on her left hand.

He cursed under his breath. Nothing was going the way he'd hoped and nothing was as he'd expected. He could only blame his own impatience in seeking her out without stopping in at RangeMan and getting a briefing from Tank. Ranger knew better than to rush into a situation without all the facts and he considered leaving, taking some time to regroup. It was the logical thing to do on any mission when there had been so much bad intel.

But his body craved her like water to a man who'd been long in the desert. He couldn't walk away without talking to her, touching her, tasting her. He stepped from the racks of hats on silent feet, approaching her counter like a feral cat stalking its prey.

_More to come..._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Of Jelly Doughnuts and Bran Muffins**_

**by** **Robin**

_Mild spoilers through Chapter 2 of LMT_

_All characters are the property of Janet Evanovich_

_Rated:PG_

**Part 2**

Stephanie leaned over the counter and heaved a big sigh, taking care to direct it away from the glass she was resting on. It wasn't like she was busy, but even so she didn't feel like having to Windex the glass case again today. She propped her chin on her hand and stifled a yawn.

This job was more snore-inducing than a five-hour surveillance stint. And her pantyhose itched. She glanced around the store, feeling someone watching her, but only seeing the retreating form of Mrs. Grayson. The penny-pinching, little pink-haired lady had just stopped by for her daily dose of perfume sample on her way to her position at the information booth in the mall. No matter what Stephanie said, she couldn't get Mrs. Grayson to buy a bottle of her own and unless the store manager was nearby she didn't even bother to try anymore. She was glad this job wasn't commission based, or it wouldn't be worth the gas money to get here some days. Mid-afternoon on a Tuesday, the mall was dead, but even at busy times, there wasn't a whole lot of interest in the perfume counter. Mrs. Grayson was probably the most action she'd see all day.

Stephanie kicked off one of her heels and flexed her foot. Her shoes were as practical as high heels got and still they killed her after standing in them all day long. But the up-side was she'd gotten them at a steep discount because of her Macy's employee card, so that was something. She tried to slip the shoe back on, but accidentally kicked it under the counter. Feeling blindly for it with her foot, she couldn't find it. As Stephanie crouched down behind the counter and spotted her shoe, she sensed more than heard that someone had approached her counter.

"I'll be right with you," she said with forced cheer, reaching out and snagging the errant shoe and cramming it on her foot. The familiar smell of Bulgari wafted toward her and she felt that old tingle. Closing her eyes, she shoved the memories away. The worst part of working at this counter wasn't that she was usually bored out of her mind. The worst part was the constant reminder of _him_. His signature scent was one of the more popular items behind her counter.

She pasted a smile on her face before straightening back up, reminding herself that a cranky salesgirl was a salesgirl that got reamed by the store manager for not making her sales quota. When she rose and met the eyes of the man on the other side of the counter, the smile died a quick death and her breath caught in her throat.

"Ranger," Stephanie breathed, not entirely believing he was real. But he looked pretty damned solid, not to mention hot, standing there in a clinging black shirt under a badass black leather jacket and a pair of cargos that rested low on his narrow hips. She blinked twice, but still he remained.

"Babe," he said in the rich, caressing tone that never failed to set her nerve-endings on fire.

His intense, silent gaze held hers, sending her thoughts tumbling through her head. "What… I mean… How… Um Hi," she said, swallowing in discomfort, her eyes sliding from his to the floor.

"Hi," he said, a slight smile curving his lips and he reached out to wrap one of her silky curls around his finger. "I like it long." She looked down at his hand where it brushed against her collar bone. The intimacy of her hair sliding over his tanned skin immediately took her back to the last night they'd spent together. To the way his dark skin contrasted with hers in the shadows of her bedroom. To the gentle touch of his strong hands. And as always, thoughts of that night automatically reminded her of how he'd left the next morning with little more than a goodbye kiss.

Not that the view of his backside wasn't terrific, but she was sick of watching him walk away. All of his moves were smooth, but leaving seemed to be the one he was most comfortable with. She had decided that the last time was the last time. She couldn't take it again. "You're back," she said, the anger that she'd been accumulating over the past months leaking into her tone.

He seemed baffled by her less than enthusiastic welcome as he withdrew his hand from her, resting it on the glass between them. She felt her attitude soften. It wasn't his fault that she'd wanted more from him than he could give. He'd always been honest about what he could offer.

She covered his hand with her own, "I'm glad you're back safely. I thought maybe this time you were staying wherever you went."

He tilted his head to the side, "I promised I'd be back."

"I was beginning to wonder." He had said he'd return, but as the weeks stretched into months and there was no word, doubts had set in. As the months had passed, seasons slipping from one to another, she'd given up entirely and moved on.

"It looks like a lot of things have happened while I was gone," he said, looking at her hand resting on his and the diamond on her ring finger.

Not ready to get into that topic, she fisted her hand and put it behind her back. Quietly she said, "You've been gone for almost a year. Things change."

He absorbed that silently for a moment. "You gave up bounty hunting," he said, sounding disbelieving and disappointed.

Hackles up, she heatedly replied, "Well it was time to grow up, Ranger. It was never meant to be a career, you know, just a way to make a buck. I thought it was better to quit while I was ahead." Or more accurately, Morelli thought she should quit while she was still in one piece. And she'd gotten tired of fighting about it.

Ranger raised one eyebrow in response, clearly doubting the truth of her last statement and no doubt reading her traitorous thoughts. "It sounds to me like you've been letting others do the thinking for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, wanting to lose her temper, but conscious enough of her surroundings to retain control.

"I guess I never expected you to change yourself to fit that mold."

She leaned forward in an angry whisper, "So what if you're right? Is it a crime?" Knowing that her manager had perfected the stealth approach ala Ranger, she struggled to keep her voice low. "Yes. I compromised. Sue me. That's how real adults have real relationships. People do it everyday. But you probably wouldn't know anything about that, would you? Mr. I-don't-do-commitments."

Ranger reached into his pocket and withdrew the paper, slapping it down on the counter. He took a deep breath and a moment to reign in his emotions. When he spoke, his voice was completely calm, but there was steel underneath. She was testing his patience. "You're wrong Stephanie. I know something about compromise, about sacrifice. My life hasn't been mine for a very long time. Not since I joined Special Forces. I never really got out. I've been a government asset all this time. Theirs to command at a moment's notice. And I loved the adventure and the danger and if I didn't make it back, I knew I would die doing what needed to be done and loving every minute of it."

Stephanie just stared at him in stunned silence, equally amazed by what he'd confessed as she was that he'd confessed it at all.

He took a deep breath, lifted his hand to stroke her soft cheek, his eyes softening with emotion. "And then I met you. I've been trying to get out of my contract ever since. Finally, I did."

Stephanie closed her eyes and felt herself lean into his hand, momentarily forgetting all the time that had past, the promises made and the hopes dashed.

"But I didn't do this because you demanded it," he continued. "I did this because I decided that you were more important. _I_ decided it. I had to go on this last assignment. It was the only way I could get the brass to even think of letting me out. I didn't know for sure if they would let me go and I didn't want to tell you – wasn't allowed to tell you – until I got this paper in my hands. Until it was certain that I was free to love you." He slid the contract across the counter to her and she took it in trembling fingers. She glanced at the words without comprehension as her mind tried to process everything that Ranger had just told her. He loved her. He had been away arranging his life accommodate her. Tears threatened to fall and the words, _United States Government_, blurred on the page.

"Stephanie," he said, brushing away a tear that hovered on her lower eyelashes. "Even with this out of the way, I'm never going to be a normal guy. I'm not going to sit at a desk and push paper all day, or be a plumber or a mechanic. That's not who I am. I know who I am, and I like it. I won't change that for anyone, not even for you."

"I never asked you to," she said defensively, using the back of her hand to blot the remaining tears.

"I know. That was why I was willing to compromise. My life will never be normal, but at least now it's mine to do with as I please. I was hoping to make room in it for you. I was hoping you'd want to share it with me."

Stephanie set the contract back on the counter, resting her left hand on top of it. The reflection of the overhead fluorescent lights danced in the diamond on her finger. She heaved a sigh and swallowed her disappointment. It was a skill she was getting good at.

"I'm sorry, Ranger. You're too late."

TBC…


End file.
